(Feb. 20, 2025) – The Senate chamber was pro forma today, not debating bills after passing bills late yesterday. Final action votes were taken on the following bills:
Sub for Senate Bill 54 limits discovery and disclosure of third-party litigation funding agreements and requires reporting of such agreements to the Judicial Council for study. The legislation passed on a vote of 39-1.
Senate Bill 175 updates the definition of athletic trainer and provides an exemption for those licensed in another state, District of Columbia, territory or foreign country to practice in Kansas. The legislation passed on a vote of 40-0.
Senate Bill 204 requires the case and warrant information be sealed in criminal and juvenile offender cases. The legislation passed on a vote of 40-0.
Senate Bill 250 enacts the Right to Try for Individualized Treatments Act to permit a manufacturer to make an individualized investigative treatment available to a requesting patient. The legislation passed on a vote of 36-4.
Senate Bill 121, authorizes the commissioner of insurance to select and announce the version of certain instructions, calculations and documents in effect for the upcoming calendar year and cause such announcements to be published in the Kansas Register, allowing certain life insurers to follow health financial reports and adopts certain provisions from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Holding Company System Regulatory Act relating to group capital calculations and liquidity stress testing. The legislation passed on a vote of 40-0.
Senate Bill 139 updates certain definitions, terms and conditions relating to the State Banking Code. The legislation passed on a vote of 40-0.
Senate Bill 42 provides for the establishment of an online insurance verification system for the verification of evidence of motor vehicle liability insurance. The legislation passed on a vote of 38-2.
Senate Bill 28 updates public adjuster and insurance agent statutes pertaining to suspension, revocation, denial of licensure and licensure renewal. The legislation passed on a vote of 38-2.
Senate Bill 51 provides a sales tax exemption for the construction or remodeling of a qualified data center in Kansas and the purchase of data center equipment, eligible data center costs and certain labor costs to qualified firms that commit to a minimum investment of at least $250,000,000 and meet new Kansas jobs and other requirements. The legislation passed on a vote of 34-6.
Senate Bill 186 requires probable cause affidavits to be made available to law enforcement agencies prior to the execution of a warrant or summons. The legislation passed on a vote of 40-0.
Senate Bill 241 provides that restrictive covenants in certain contracts are enforceable and not considered a restraint of trade in certain circumstances. The legislation passed on a vote of 40-0.
Senate Bill 244 prohibits a compensated surety from making loans for certain portions of the required minimum appearance bond premium. The legislation passed on a vote of 37-3.
Senate Bill 114 authorizes nonpublic and virtual school students to participate in ancillary public school activities and makes it unlawful for the Kansas State High School Activities Association and school districts to discriminate against such students based on enrollment status. The legislation passed on a vote of 32-8.
Senate Bill 76 requires employees of school districts and postsecondary educational institutions to use the name and pronoun consistent with a student's biological sex and birth certificate and authorizes a cause of action for violations therefor. The legislation passed on a vote of 26-14.
Senate Bill 97 grants the purchasers of non-highway vehicles the option to obtain a title for such vehicles. The legislation passed on a vote of 40-0.
Senate Bill 105 requires the governor to appoint a person to fill vacancies in the offices of United States senator, state treasurer and commissioner of insurance from a list of names approved by the legislature. The legislation passed on a vote of 31-9.
Senate Bill 227 provides for different credit percentages for the tax credit for expenditures for the restoration and preservation of historic structures based on city populations and the amount of the expenditures. The legislation passed on a vote of 31-9.
Senate Bill 89 authorizes the animal health commissioner to adopt rules and regulations to administer the Poultry Disease Control Act and to establish an annual participation fee for participation in the National Poultry Improvement Plan, a certification fee for persons performing testing and diagnostic services, and a testing fee per visit to each location participating in the plan. The legislation passed on a vote of 38-2.
Senate Bill 47 requires school districts to publicly list the names and email addresses of current school board members, authorizes local school board members to add new items to board meeting discussions, ask questions or engage in discussion with members of the public and access school property, authorizes members of the public to address school boards at board meetings and authorizes payment of annual dues to any not-for-profit organization that provides services to member school districts. The bill passed on a vote of 21-19.
Sub for Senate Bill 197 concerns STAR bond projects, authorizes redevelopment of certain mall facilities as eligible STAR bond projects, requires quarterly visitor data reporting, requires public disclosure of project details within 90 days of approval of the project, prohibits the use of State General Fund money for the repayment of STAR bonds, prohibits the use of eminent domain for property acquisition and extends the expiration date of the STAR bonds financing act to July 1, 2028. The legislation passed on a vote of 32-8.
These bills will now go to the House for further review/debate.